


Twisting the kaleidoscope behind both of my eyes

by juggydunes



Series: I'm half doomed (you're semi-sweet) [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 12:40:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11669331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juggydunes/pseuds/juggydunes
Summary: "She had carved a space inside his routine and heart, a permanent fixture, and his favorite part of his newly found status of alive."Part two of my soulmates AU.





	Twisting the kaleidoscope behind both of my eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the most amazing person ever: Jandsalmon.  
> My love for you is directly proportional to my hate of "Despacito".

He finds himself in the same spot he did before, looking out the window of his apartment, the only thing that’s different is everything else.  _ He  _ is different, being brought back to life will do that to you.

As Jughead’s learning, day by day, perspective is everything. His whole life changed the day he reopened his eyes on that hospital bed and not just because he awoke to the sight of his soulmate, but because he was finally learning to  _ live. _

The process, however, was very painful and difficult. Not only he had to endure two months of weekly hospital visits, but he had a cast on his stupid leg for four months. Usually, Jughead would’ve used that as an excuse to avoid any social interaction he deemed unnecessary but for the first time in his life he didn’t want the excuse.

Jughead remembers waking up to Betty sitting beside the bed and smiles. She had been with him in every step of his recovery, even when he apparently wasn’t the nicest of patients as she likes to tell him. A warmth spreads through his chest at the thought of her teasing smile, something very much alive and thriving inside him.

He knows he couldn’t have been the easiest person to deal with. Years of closing himself off would do that to anyone. He had spent the greater part of his life isolating himself to reduce emotional damage both to himself and to others. That was a hard habit to break out of.

Betty though… Betty was pure, undiluted sunshine. He could see how everybody  _ loved  _ her at the hospital, how the nurses would be calmer and softer whenever she was around, and patients would greet her happily on the corridors. Not that he could blame anybody, she was a force of nature and each time Betty smiled in his direction, Jughead could feel a little part of his broken soul glue itself back together.

Betty Cooper, the ultimate elixir of life.

Jughead snorts to himself at the sappiness, turning around to check the clock. Slowly he walks to his room and picks up his nicest black denim jacket. Moving to the mirror on the wardrobe’s door, he looks at himself. Jughead is wearing his nicest button down shirt with dark jeans and the ever permanent converse sneakers plus his trademark beanie, which he had gotten out of the box immediately after coming back to his apartment.

Tonight, after that infamous day almost 5 months ago, he finally gets to go out on a first date with Betty Cooper.

That’s not to say he hasn’t seen her in those five months, oh no. She had become the newest constant in his life, one he’s so grateful for. Betty had helped him get better, accompanied him to as many of his physical therapy sessions for his broken leg as she could, and she chastised him when he pushed himself too far. She had carved a space inside his routine and heart, a permanent fixture, and his favorite part of his newly found status of  _ alive. _

They had reached an agreement, however, one very late night speaking on the phone as she was working a night shift and he was up typing away on this laptop, that they would wait until he was recovered before going out on a date. She had repeated multiple times that she didn’t care about his leg but he wanted to be able to walk with her hand in hand, without the help of crutches, on their first date.

Weeks later when his cast was finally removed, he quickly made his way to his apartment to wash and take care of his leg before he hopped on an Uber and made his way to the hospital once he knew she was on shift.

She had freaked out a little at watching him on his feet even though he was holding on to a single crutch with an inflated boot on his leg.

“Juggie, what the fuck are you doing up?” Betty had said, frowning as she walked towards him and softly guided him to a chair in the hall. Gladly, he’d sat down, his adrenaline fading a little and pain flaring up. “You got your cast removed today! Are you insane? You should be resting! Where is JB? Did she not go with you? You should-”

“Will you go on a date with me?” he asked, cutting her off, a little breathless. He smiled at the baffled expression on her face, mouth a little open.

“Did you come all the way here to ask me if want to go on a date with you?”  s he asks, still frowning at him. Doubt started creeping in, making his smile disappear.

“Well… I… Yes?” he answered, not sure how to reply. Jughead looked down at the floor, suddenly ashamed of his idiotic actions. He had been hopeful that she’d say yes, that the way they had interacted and talked during these past weeks, how he’d catch her looking at him sometimes… he had been praying it wasn’t all in his head.

“Juggie…” Her tone had been so soft, he remembers his hand being grabbed gently by hers, making him look up. “You could’ve called me, there’s no need to come all the way here when you know I’m going to say yes.” Betty’s smile radiated warmth he felt everywhere, down to the very molecule of his being.

“Yeah?” He had asked, part of him still unable to believe her answer. Soulmates or not, they still had a choice.

“Of course, you dummy. Now go home and take care of that leg, you need to be in tip-top shape for our date. Go on… doctor’s orders.” Betty had lain her hand on his cheek as he chuckled, eyes bright.

He had stopped to look at her for a minute, taken aback by the sudden rush of happiness that had rushed through him. Jughead waited for the feeling to go away as it usually did but the flame only grew as her thumb softly caressed his cheek.

“Okay, don’t want the Doc to get mad at me,” he said as he got up slowly with the help of his crutch. Betty helped him up with a hand on his bicep. Gathering courage he leaned forward, placing a lingering kiss on the apple of her cheek, pleased when a lovely blush appeared on her skin. “Goodbye, Betts.”

When he got back home , JB had taken one look at the gigantic smile on his face and chuckled.

“Oh, you’re  _ so  _ whipped,” his sister had teased and he’d merely shrugged, not wanting to deny an obvious truth.

Now, only a short time before their actual date, Jughead sighs at his reflection one last time before he heads out of his apartment, trying to get rid of the butterflies attacking him from the inside. He finds himself continuously reminding himself that Betty had said ‘yes’, and had even told him she was excited for their date. Logically, he knows he doesn’t have anything to worry about, but that doesn’t stop his nerves.

It only takes 15 minutes to get to her apartment. It was a good surprise when they’d realised they lived somewhat near to each other. Carefully getting out of the Uber and mindful of his still healing leg, Jughead makes his way to the building and rings the doorbell.

“Hello?” Betty’s distorted voice sounds over the speaker. 

“Betts? It’s Jughead , ” he calls out in answer. 

“Oh, Juggie! Would you mind coming up? I’m just finishing getting ready!” she says quickly, and he smiles at the happy undertone that changed her voice when she answered. 

“Sure,” he replies and pushes the door open when it buzzes in signal.

The ride on the elevator is short but it’s enough for Jughead’s nerves to make his heart beat faster with each floor passing. He takes a deep breath before knocking on her door.

A raven haired girl answers it and he stares at her in mild confusion. He looks up at the plate on the door, checking to see if he knocked on the wrong apartment.

“You must be Jughead! I’m Veronica, Betty’s best friend,” she says, opening the door more and stepping aside for him to enter. “Get in here.”

“Oh, Veronica,” he replies, remembering the name from his conversations with Betty. “Nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” He smiles softly and extends his hand to her.

“Likewise.” The darker woman smirks as she returns his handshake. “Betty is just about done, so make yourself at home. I’m leaving, have fun tonight!” 

And with that, she’s gone, closing the door behind her, leaving him standing awkwardly in the living room. He looks around the pristine place that looked so Betty. Art hanging on the walls, the ceiling a soft pink color, comfortable looking couch.

“Juggie? Sorry about making you wait, I had to stay a bit longer at the hospital and I got here like an hour and a half ago. Oh did Veronica leave?”

Jughead turns around in her direction and is instantly petrified at the sight.  _ She looks so beautiful.  _ His heart, the same one that had been beating out of control moments ago seems to stop in his chest. He hopes his mouth is not hanging open like an idiot.

Betty is wearing a maroon halter dress that stops somewhere above her knees, making her long legs look spectacular. Her hair is down in soft waves, two strands pinned back to keep her face free of it. There’s light makeup on her eyes but they stand out more than they normally do. She looks like everything he never knew he needed.

He’s hit by all these emotions that come out of nowhere, making his heart squeeze painfully in his chest. It feels like everything is crashing down on him but in a good way, certainly not a feeling he has experienced ever in his life. Jughead feels his eyes tearing up and before he can stop it, a single lone tear travels down his cheek.

“Juggie, what’s wrong?” Betty looks alarmed, quickly coming to him and wiping the tear away with her thumb as she holds his face in both of her hands. Jughead feels another tear slip away, his hand coming to clutch her waist tightly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m…” Jughead starts, chuckling wetly at the sound of his weak voice, he’s a bit embarrassed at the sudden explosion of emotions. “You look so beautiful, Betty.  _ So beautiful _ .” He tells her reverently, eyes flying all over her face. 

“Why are you crying?” Betty asks, bottom lip jutting out in a mild pout. Jughead places his hand on her neck, thumb tracing her bottom lip lightly as she gasps at the contact.

“It just hit me that I’m the luckiest bastard and I’m so grateful that you saved me that day, Betty…  _ so grateful _ ,” he tells her with nothing short of awe in his voice. “I never thought I’d see this day. You look beautiful, you’re the kindest person I’ve ever know and… I’m just  _ so _ fucking grateful and happy that you found me. You  _ saved  _ me.”

Jughead’s emotions are all over the place. This vast amount of feelings that seem too big for his chest flood his veins. He’s never felt like this. The profound feeling of  _ right _ … like everything would be okay. He’s not sure how to handle it, clearly.

“Oh, stop, you’re gonna make me cry and Veronica worked really hard on my make up , ” Betty says, voice hitching a little as she holds back the clear tears in her eyes. Jughead touches his forehead to hers, closing his eyes and enjoying their proximity. Betty’s hands hold onto the hair at the back of his neck tightly and he can almost feel their souls and their hearts knit together.

“Sorry about the tears, Betts,” he whispers, hugging her even tighter to his chest. He is very aware that he was so close to never having this, never having her in his life, and the thought makes him shiver with dread. It’s only been four months but he can no longer see a life without her in it. 

“Juggie?” she whispers back, breaking the comfortable silence they were in.

“Hmm?” he hums in question, leaning back enough to look at her. Her eyes were the first thing he’d seen and he hopes they’re the last thing he ever looks at.

“We found each other,” she tells him seriously. “While I hate that you were so badly hurt, you found  _ me,  _ too.”

Jughead knows to the very core of his soul that there’s no one in this universe that could ever compare to Betty Cooper. No one he’d rather have as his soulmate than her. He sighs in contentment, smiling before he places a kiss on her forehead and then her cheek. Jughead takes a step back but keeps a hand on her waist, clearing his throat to regain his cool.

“We need to get moving, Doc. We have reservations.” Jughead tells her, making her smile and effectively changing the heavy emotion charged air in the room. “I’ve been waiting for a long time for this date with my soulmate, you know?” 

Betty giggles adorably, gathering a jacket and her purse before lacing her arm with his.

“Lead the way, Jones.” 

 

* * *

 

Their dinner date is filled with laughter and stories of their lives. Jughead’s sure he’s never had a date as fun and delightful as this one. Not that he’s surprised, after all Betty  _ is  _ his soulmate. It still sends a thrill through his veins every time she laughs at her joke or reaches forward to place her hand over his.

It’s exciting and yet at the same time it’s so natural, like this is where he’s meant to be. The idea of a long life filled with Betty at his side sounds nothing short of amazing. Jughead runs his thumb over the dates in Betty’s wrist, the same ones that display on his own now.

It had been a shock to wake up in the hospital and see that they had changed. Nothing was scientifically standard for these cases in which a soulmate had died then been brought back to life so he hadn’t known what to expect.

Betty puts her wrist next to his and smiles softly. Jughead finds that knowing he’ll die alongside her seems fitting and no longer a burden to his heart. Jughead would rather not navigate a world without Betty in it.

They’re sitting in a bench on a park, deciding to take a walk after dinner. He doesn’t want the night to end, never wants to part from her. Jughead softly kisses the numbers on her wrist, following with a trail of feather light kisses down to the little marks on the palms of her hand that she’s only recently confided to him about.

Betty places her hand over his cheek, pressing it to his face as he looks at her, a sense of peace resting over him as he basks in their closeness and gentle touches. A smiling Betty is looking at him, the light from the park is not illuminating her fully. She gazes at him for a second more before using the hand on his face to pull him closer into a kiss, the moment her lips are pressed with his the world tilts on its axis.

That’s how it feels to Jughead anyway. His heart freezes inside of him only to start beating again furiously, as if it had stopped just to pair itself to hers. His skin feels a little raw and electricity crackles in the air around them. Jughead realizes then that this is what has been missing his whole life, this is the reason he held onto life, he didn’t end it all before, and waited until that date on his wrist.

He licks her bottom lip, silently asking permission which she happily gives. Jughead grabs her by the hips, sliding her closer until she’s basically perched on his lap and her arms curl around his neck. The world is out of focus as they kiss, nothing is more important than the touch of their lips. He knows there’s no turning back now, there’s not a force strong enough in this world that could stop him from trying to make Betty Cooper as happy as possible for as long as she allowed him to.

_ Parting is such sweet sorrow, _ he thinks as they stop their kiss to breath. Jughead has a hand in her hip and other tangled in her hair as they cling to one another.

“Hi,” Jughead whispers, leaning back only enough to see her. Her eyes are glazed over and a lovely shade of pink paints her cheeks.

“Hey there,” she replies, biting her lower lip. Jughead watches the action and, unable to contain himself, kisses her chastely once more. “Good to know I was right…”

“What about?” Betty asks, frowning in adorable confusion as Jughead tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and smiles dopily at her.

“Falling in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done , ”  h e confesses in a whisper. She  _ has  _ to know how completely heads over heels he was for her.

Forget about being soulmates, Jughead Jones knows he would fall in love with Betty Cooper in any and every universe possible. Meant to be or not, she was  _ it  _ for him.

Betty is looking at him with something akin to shock and awe in her eyes with  _ the  _ most breathtaking smile he’s ever seen on her flourishing on her face a moment before she’s kissing him in force again. This kiss seems ingrained with emotions he never expected to feel. 

“I’m so glad it’s you, Jughead , ” Betty says reverently, looking at him. “I love you.”

“I love you,”  h e answers just as intensely, holding her tightly against him. Her perfume floods his senses and he can only hope one day that scent will stick to his bedsheets, his clothes, the walls and permanently fill everything with her presence.  

As they hug, Jughead can’t help but think that…  _ damn, it’s good to be alive.  _

**Author's Note:**

> I'll probably post from time to time different flashes of their life, thank you for always supporting this fic. I love you all.


End file.
